In Singapore, whenever we have a craving for Japanese ramen, we head down to Ippudo. The quality of their tonkotsu ramen is consistently good, and once-in-a-while, they offer limited seasonal specialties like their delightful yuzu ramen.
One prominent feature of many outlets are their big fridges, well-stocked with a surprisingly wide range of sakes. Their menu conveniently categorises the broad offering by flavour profiles, making it easier for relative newcomers, like us, to choose sakes that would suit our preferences.
After going through their extensive list, and cross-referencing information online to find out their respective prefectures and SMV (sake meter value, a sweet vs dry indicator), I’ve even shortlisted a few interesting bottles to try during future visits.
Conveniently, I came across their IG post promoting a sake tasting and food pairing event, something that they run on a monthly basis. The featured food items can’t be found on their regular menu, and this particular session offered uni and ikura from Hokkaido.
In addition, we get to choose three sakes each from a total of six seasonal selections. Giving us an opportunity to sample broadly from their extensive menu. The event was to be held over three specific days, each at a different location.
Given that there was a limit of 100 sets, presumably at each location, I quickly called the Shaw Centre outlet and made a reservation for two, before all the seats were taken. The sake and food pairing would be available from 7-9pm and we could turn up anytime within the window.
We usually have dinner at 5pm, and upon asking, they confirmed that we could arrive earlier and still be served. When we were seated, the placemat that greeted us listed the sake choices, together with SMV and prefecture data.
It also doubled up as an order sheet, where we could tick our three choices using a non-permanent marker. They would then pour and place the correct glass in the correct circle, ensuring that we knew which sake we were drinking. Quite an efficient approach, I thought.
They took quite good care in selecting the six options, sourcing from five different prefectures and with SMV ranging from +6 to -6.
The only two brands that I recognised was Nihon Sakari and the ubiquitous Dassai, so it was a good opportunity to expand my nihonshu horizon.
When the waitress arrived to take our order, there wasn’t a mark on our order sheet. We simply told her: “One of each please!” Throughout the night, many of the two-top tables did the same.
| Name | Prefecture | SMV |
|---|---|---|
| Hakata Ippon Shime Junmaishu | Fukuoka | +2 |
| Nihon Sakari Junmai Daiginjo Namasake | Hyogo | -6 |
| Senkin Modern Muku | Tochigi | NA |
| Dassai Junmai Daiginjo 45 | Yamaguchi | +3 |
| Miino Kotobuki Biden Ookarakichi Yamadanishiki | Fukuoka | +4 |
| Tenryo Homare Ginjo Karakuchi | Nagano | +6 |
The six bottles were kept chilled in a large sake Ozeki (大関) barrel which, ironically, wasn’t among the choices featured that night. If the Ozeki brand sounds familiar, it’s probably due to their widely-distributed and convenient “One Cup Ozeki” 180ml cans.
But first, some greasy pre-alcohol tonkotsu ramen to coat the stomach. For maximum cost-performance, we kaedama‘ed with extra noodles and split the one portion into two bowls.
We also added an order of deep-fried gobo chips, one of The Wife’s favourite bar snacks. Those at Ippudo are particularly nice as they slice them thin enough to be super crispy, but also wide enough to retain their delicious woody flavour.
With sufficient food sitting in our stomachs, we started tackling the six glasses of sake in front of us. I took short tasting notes on my phone as I took small sips from each glass, starting with the top left and going clock-wise:
- Hakata Ippon Shime Junmaishu: Clean, slightly dry and light taste
- Nihon Sakari Junmai Daiginjo Namasake: Light and sweet, but not super sweet for SMV -6
- Senkin Modern Muku: Slightly dry with a pleasantly peachy undernote
- Dassai Junmai Daiginjo 45: Nice richness and flavour, and not dry even though SMV +3
- Miino Kotobuki Biden Ookarakichi Yamadanishiki: Dry and tight on the tongue
- Tenryo Homare Ginjo Karakuchi: Aromatic and very flavourful, very dry but pleasantly so
It took some time for our uni and ikura set to arrive, but when it did, I was suitably impressed. The portions were really quite generous for the price. It would have been quite reasonable paying S$30 just for the amount of food offered.
Likewise, S$30 would have been fair value just for three glasses of sake. So, to have the entire Sake x Uni x Ikura combo for S$30 was wonderful value, akin to getting a 50% discount.
Handy pieces of nori were served in a masu cup, together with some shoyu and a blob of grated wasabi. I was expecting the “wasabi” to be horseradish dyed green, but surprisingly, it was the real deal.
It may seem like a small deal, but freshly-grated real wasabi makes a huge difference to the final taste, especially with the small bites of uni and ikura. It added a light and fruity zing to the mini seafood handrolls, refreshing but not overpowering.
The uni was exceptionally good — fresh, creamy and sweet. We asked our waitress what type of uni it was, but she didn’t know exactly and brought the event organiser over to our table. Turns out it was Aka Uni, one of the more expensive types. Ippudo is really quite sincere with their special events.
I made a mini-roll with just the uni, and then another with just the ikura, and they both tasted great. Especially with a touch of the green stuff.
But the best way to enjoy the dish was to combine the two types of seafood. Uni and ikura is a classic pairing in expensive kaisendons, and the reason why is obvious once you have a bite of the umami explosion.
Paraphrasing the words of the famous Japanese philosopher Piko Taro:
“I have some uni…
I have ikura…
uuhh! O-i-shi”
If you have no idea what I’m talking about, this might help:
Good luck getting that out of your brain for the next two days.
We stall had some sake left after we finished all the uni and ikura, so we ordered some shishito tempura. They were mild tasting and went quite well with the sake. Other tables also added various other appetisers like gyoza, spicy grilled corn and chicken karaage as they enjoyed their drinks.
The Wife asked me which sake was my favourite that night, and I had to go with the Tenryo Homare. Which also happened to be her top pick as well. It was honestly quite surprising, given that we’re more partial to smooth and sweet junmai daiginjos.
Clocking in at an SMV of +6 and with Karakuchi (辛口) clearly stated in its name, the Tenryo seemed like the exact opposite of what we like. But it won us over with its aromatic notes and smooth dryness.
I was tempted to buy a bottle home, but decided that it would be more cost effective not to pay the full retail markup and buy it online instead. My instincts were right, and it was available from Inter Rice Asia at two-thirds the price.
Two bottles are now happily sitting in our fridge, one for our future consumption and the other for JM, who is a fan of drier sakes. I’d be curious to see what he thinks of this particular bottle.
The Sake x Uni x Ikura event is a great way to sample many different sakes, which enjoying good quality seafood. While Ippudo runs sake food pairings every month, they change up the food items to feature different produce like hamachi, wagyu and others.
I check out Ippudo Singapore’s IG on a regular basis, and the next time I see uni and ikura pop up again, I’ll definitely be making reservations for a return visit.
